Exercise Cheat Sheet
Exercise and diet go hand in hand. Alone, they are both beneficial, but when combined, they become significantly more valuable. Diet is the foundation, exercise builds the house. The more you eat good food, move your body, and lift heavy things, the stronger and healthier you will be.
The simple combination of a healthy diet that you enjoy and walking 10,000 steps every day will lead you to lose weight and become healthier. This doesn’t require a gym, a tough workout, or a lot of time. Stay active throughout the day and go for a 30-minute walk after dinner; you will lose weight. Lifting some weights or taking some classes at the gym is awesome if you’d like to take your health to the next level, but it is certainly not required to achieve a base level of health. Eat good and walk; it truly is that simple.
I highly recommend investing in a step tracker. Fitbits are reliable and fairly inexpensive. Any model will do the job, simply pick whichever style you like best. My mom sets a goal for herself of 10,000 steps and plays a little game/competition with herself each day to reach that number. 10,000 steps every day will dramatically improve your health and help you lose weight. Just by walking.
Many health insurance companies will compensate you for reaching 10,000 steps a certain amount of times in a month or how many times you scan into the gym. It’s usually only $20, and in today’s world, I can’t even say that’s a tank of gas, but better you have that $20 than the insurance company. Any extra motivation is good motivation.
"World’s largest study shows the more you walk, the lower your risk of death"https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/997859
Humans tend to make habits of things we prioritize. Do this with a 10-minute walk after eating and it will become part of your everyday life. This allows you to break up your walking into 10-minute intervals throughout the day; while also helping to digest your food.
Other tips to make 10,000 steps seem easier: Take breaks from work and walk, go the long way to the bathroom, take the stairs, and park a little further away from your destination. Before you know it, you’ll be at 10,000. Get your friends involved and make it into a competition. It is way easier and more fun doing it with others. On the Apple Watch, you can invite friends and share your activity each day. Creating simple games that give you small rewards each day makes the lifelong journey of health much easier to sustain.
If the gym isn’t your thing, little spurts of exercise throughout the day will do the trick. Squats, lunges, yard work, lifting something into the air 20 times; anything that gets you slightly out of breath and feeling a burning sensation in your muscles. Simple yet effective.
Sex: Exercise typically isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of sex, but it certainly is one hell of a workout. It’s a very underrated form of cardio that burns calories and increases blood flow, which strengthens the heart. Well, as long as you don’t just lay there. Have sex, walk 10,000 steps, and eat good food; keys to a healthy lifestyle.
By now you must think I’m obsessed with sex since I’ve mentioned it twice, but I am simply looking at it from a health perspective. It’s a great workout, improves sleep, and strengthens your relationship with your partner; it’s too beneficial to not talk about.
For those that enjoy the gym and more intense exercise
If you’re trying to lose weight: 30 minutes of higher intensity exercise 4-5 days per week. You can search for “HIIT workout” (high-intensity interval training) on YouTube and do it for free from the comfort of your home. If you’re someone like me who enjoys the gym atmosphere, most gyms are only $20-$30 a month and offer many group fitness classes that only take 30-45 minutes of your day. Doing those 4 times a week will have an insanely positive impact on your health and body.
My mom does a 45 minute HIIT class 4 or 5 times each week at the gym. Like most people just starting out, she was intimidated in the beginning. After a month or 2, as she started seeing results, her confidence and comfort level increased. Now, she looks forward to these classes and prioritizes them in her busy schedule. She’s lost 45 pounds and looks/feels better than she has in a long time. All by eating healthy food, walking 10,000 steps, and busting her butt for 45 minutes 4 or 5 times per week.
